2017 ITTF World Cup: I need a coach, says Quadri

Africa`s No.1 table tennis player, Aruna Quadri, has pleaded with the Ministry of Youth and Sports to hire a knowledgeable coach for him, ahead of the 2017 World Cup in Belgium.

The championship is slated to hold in Liege, Belgium later in the year.

Despite putting Nigeria on the world map on several occasions, Africa’s highest ranked table tennis player, said he had no quality national coach to manage him at international competitions.

“I am actually getting used to playing without a coach because I have no sponsor. Since I have no sponsor, I just have to play alone.

“I can say that a coach is very, very important but since I have no support, I just have to keep on playing alone.”

“Actually, if I am not ready to play in the Bulgaria Open, I wouldn’t come along. But I am here because I am ready to play without a coach. If I had a coach, it would be even better of course,” he said.

The Nigeria Table Tennis Federation said on Monday said that Quadri attributed his victory against Japan’s Yuto Kizukuri in the round of 16 of Bulgaria Open as “sheer luck’’.

“I think I have been really lucky in this tournament. It was my best match. I was 6-3 down in the last set but luckily, I won.

“I gained some confidence from the round of 16 matches. I have something really important happening here and I am very happy,” he said.

He, however, pleaded with his fans over his disappointing outing at Nigeria Open, describing it as normal in sports.

“I cannot actually say that Nigeria Open was a big disappointment for my fans but at the same time, it is one of the things that normally happen in sports.

“For me, it is meant to buckle me up. I thought it is possible to do so much better and anything can truly happen,’’ Quadri said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Minister of Youth and Sports, Solomon Dalung, had promised to support Quadri for the World Cup.